I went to Malacca on 14th March to 17th March. It was a fun experience but something unexpected happened. And it happened to me.
I went to Malacca with my boyfriend and his family. I was walking with him and his group of cousins along a road that had no street lamps after a really good dinner nearby our hotel when suddenly a motorist zoomed past me, grabbing my bag along. I tried pulling my bag back but because it was of lousy quality, it snapped and the motorist went off with my bag. I was shouting and hurling curses at the motorist until he was out of sight and that was then I suddenly realised that everything I had on me was in that bag - my passport, IC, phone, wallet and a polaroid camera. I broke down. Not because I lost the money and not because of how much all that was worth, but I was afraid that I couldn't make it back to Singapore. Suddenly, I turned into someone without any form of identification and didn't belong to any country. I cried really badly and was saying repeatedly, "My passport, my IC. Everything was inside." And believe me, it was equally big a shock to my boyfriend and his cousins. After a while, we walked back to the hotel and my boyfriend's family helped me make calls to Singapore Consulate, M1 and the various banks back in Singapore to cancel my stuff.
I'm just so damn glad that these people were there for me when my bag was snatched. They helped me in whatever way they can and I'm really thankful for that. And in order to show how thankful I am, what I did was to enjoy the rest of the days at Malacca. (The snatch-theft happened on the first day.)
So anyways, this post is to not for me to go on and on about how upset I am with my loss but to pass on the knowledge to you guys on what to do if you were to lose your passport and/or IC when you're overseas.
1. Make a police report.
Yes, head to the nearest police station right away regardless which country you're at. It may be difficult or even impossible to get your stuff back but it is important that you have a police report because you will need it for the Singapore Consulate and airport/Singapore checkpoint.
2. Head to a Singapore Consulate.
Be prepared cos you will need to pay a certain sum of money for a temporary passport. Also, you'll need to submit your police report and a passport photo.
3. Cancel all your bank cards/mobile line.
Use the hotel phone or someone else's phone to make a report to the bank(s) and telephone company. It is important that you do this to prevent any money being withdrawn from your account and to prevent any additional costs made to your mobile phone's line.
4. Be prepared to be bombarded.
Everyone is going to ask you what happened everywhere you go - the police station, the Singapore Consulate, Singapore Airport/Singapore Checkpoint. It is gonna be quite tough especially if yours was a robbery or snatch-theft, so brace yourself and not flare up at these people because they're just trying to do their jobs.
5. Go to the nearest police station.
Immediately. Show them the police report from the overseas police and also the temporary passport.
6. Head to ICA.
Head to ICA the next day once you're back in Singapore. It's open from 8am to 5pm from Monday to Friday and 8am to 1pm on Saturday. Bring along your temporary passport and police reports. It is essential. Also, $100 for loss of IC.
To be honest, on the night my stuff was snatched, I couldn't sleep. When I closed my eyes, all I could see was that moment when my bag got snatched, over and over again. It was a harrowing experience but I was just glad that I didn't get pulled along with my bag. So guys, stay safe when you're overseas. If you're carrying a backpack, carry it in front and if you're carrying a sling bag, cross it over your body and your bag should be in front. But in any case still, have fun if you're going overseas!
No comments:
Post a Comment